Body found between orchards; death treated as suspicious

A body was found between two almond orchards off an open field behind Central Valley High School on Monday afternoon.

Homicide detectives from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene off Blaker Road after someone discovered the body about 2:30 p.m.

Deputy Anthony Bejaran, the department’s spokesman, said detectives had not determined how the person died but were treating the death as suspicious.

He said because of the condition of the body, the person’s name, age and even gender were not evident.

Bejaran would not elaborate on what condition the body was in or offer an estimate on how long it had been there.

“Those are things the detectives will look at as they work: Is this the crime scene location, or do we have a body dump? Those things will be determined over the next few days,” Bejaran said.

He said detectives were questioning neighbors and the person who found the body.

The Sheriff’s Department helicopter assisted detectives with aerial photos of the scene.

Authorities ask anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward. Tipsters can text information to Crime Stoppers at 274637; type TIP704 along with the message.